Chapter 148: Falling Combo

Chu Cheng was sure he wasn't mistaken—it was definitely Leng Ji.

Even if you could confuse his face, you couldn't mistake his whole look. He was dressed head-to-toe in his usual Tokyo foodie outfit, which made him stand out.

As soon as Leng Ji appeared, a QTE prompt flashed on the screen, urging Chu Cheng to click the left mouse button. He reacted immediately, almost leaving an afterimage with how fast he clicked.

Batman, connected through the remote, responded quickly. He drove his elbow into Leng Ji's chest and stomach again and again.

"Shouldn't this guy be dead?" Chu Cheng thought, confused.

"Facial recognition confirms it's Agent Leng Ji," Friday said. "Vital signs are a perfect match, too."

This didn't make sense.

Leng Ji had died. Chu Cheng had been there... well, not physically. His remote character had been there. He'd watched Leng Ji drive tentacles through his own heart, committing suicide. Detective mode scans had shown all his vital signs at zero. Leng Ji was dead, whether he was infected or just a phantom.

But now, here he was, alive, trying to strangle Batman—or as Leng Ji thought, "Agent Snake."

Clearly, though, Leng Ji wasn't expecting what happened next.

The holographic image of Batman glitched for a second as Leng Ji squeezed his throat. This flickering caught Leng Ji's attention. He also realized his opponent's strength was more than he expected. The elbow to his stomach had hurt even with the armored skin that should have absorbed the impact.

Taken by surprise, Leng Ji almost let go of his grip.

From Leng Ji's point of view, this little agent should have been easy to deal with. The plan was to kill him instantly and then turn to deal with those strange black creatures to capture Liang Ye.

But it looked like he had run into a tough opponent.

Another white figure quickly darted out of the darkness overhead. The slim, graceful figure descended from above, and two white web strands snapped onto Leng Ji's back. Taking advantage of the moment when Leng Ji was hit by an elbow, the figure yanked hard, pulling Leng Ji back a few steps.

It was Spider-Gwen.

With the team of heroes growing, Chu Cheng wasn't about to send Batman out alone for a mission like this. Today's backup included not just Gwen but also Spider-Man. If things went south or started to get out of hand, Chu Cheng could immediately switch perspectives, and if needed, he could even have both Spider-Man and Gwen fight together.

Gwen and Spider-Man had nearly identical abilities, making them Chu Cheng's best picks for individual combat, alongside Batman.

Leng Ji let go of his grip, and as Batman escaped, he spun around under the AI's control and swept his leg low, aiming for Leng Ji's feet. Leng Ji lost his balance. At the same time, Gwen yanked hard, pulling Leng Ji off his feet and into the air.

Suddenly, a tentacle shot out from behind Leng Ji, striking at Gwen like lightning. But Chu Cheng had already hit the defense button. Gwen twisted her body, dodging the tentacle, then flew up and kicked Leng Ji into the air. She followed up with a series of punches and kicks, her movements fast and graceful, causing Leng Ji to spit out blood as he was pummeled.

Leng Ji crashed to the ground like a rag doll, rolling and slamming against a stone wall. Gwen shot two webs to his sides and pulled hard, using her strength and the elasticity of the webs to launch herself forward. She kicked him square in the chest with both feet.

Leng Ji spat out blood, his skin cracking and pieces flying. The stone wall behind him cracked under the force. Leng Ji was hurled out through the crumbling stone and dirt, falling toward the endless black cliff below.

But just as he was about to fall, a tentacle shot out from the shadows, hidden by the dust and the crumbling wall. It wrapped around Batman's ankle and, with the momentum from Gwen's kick, it started to pull Batman down, too.

Liang Ye, nearby, seemed like he wanted to help, but he was tied up fighting the last three strange monsters in front of him. He couldn't break free from the battle with the weird creatures just yet, and he showed no intention of summoning the phantom.

Chu Cheng wasn't thinking much right now—he was too busy fighting.

Batman was grappling with Leng Ji, managing to land a punch. Leng Ji blocked it, but when their fists met, the image on his "Snake" device flickered, like a TV with bad reception.

Leng Ji frowned. "You're not with the Police Department. You're... wait—"

Before he could finish, a jolt of high-voltage electricity surged from Batman's fist, making Leng Ji's whole body tingle. He instantly thought of someone sneaky from his past.

"Holographic mode off," Batman's voice said.

The illusion disappeared, revealing Batman in his gray-black suit and bat-shaped helmet. Leng Ji's eyes widened in shock. 

"It's you again, Batman!" Leng Ji thought. He felt like throwing up. Why did Batman keep showing up? Was it because he somehow offended Batman, or what? He was starting to think he was being targeted.

He couldn't tell if it was from the electric shock or something else, but Leng Ji was feeling numb now.

As Batman and Leng Ji fell to the ground, Gwen, aka Spider-Man, didn't slow down. She shot out her web, moving so fast she was just a white blur. Her webs caught up to both of them in no time.

Leng Ji, still reeling from Batman's electric punch, saw Gwen's long, agile legs swinging toward him. She kicked him hard, almost knocking him out. Leng Ji tried to punch back at Batman, but Batman easily dodged and landed two more punches on Leng Ji's face.

Leng Ji's mechanical tentacles shot out to attack Gwen, but she gracefully flipped in mid-air, dodging them. Another web shot from her hand, yanking Leng Ji back toward her. She landed three quick kicks, sending Leng Ji flying back toward Batman, who greeted him with another powerful punch.

Leng Ji was dazed from Batman's powerful punch. His head jerked to the side, and just as he turned back, he saw a pair of legs flying straight at him. The kick hit him with so much force that it almost broke through his armored skin.

He tried to punch back, but Batman easily deflected it and landed two more punches to his face.

Leng Ji's mechanical tentacles lashed out at Gwen, but she shot out her webbing, catching them. She performed a graceful somersault in mid-air to dodge the tentacles, then fired another web at Leng Ji. The web pulled him toward her like a giant arm. She landed three quick kicks on him, sending him flying back toward Batman, who was ready with another high-powered punch.

After finishing a combo of punches and kicks, Gwen swung away on a web while Batman's cape flared out. Leng Ji hit the ground hard, landing on his back.

Batman and Gwen landed on either side of him, one to the left and one to the right.

Leng Ji, his face smashed into the ground, was still trying to get up. He twitched his fingers a couple of times and slowly, stubbornly, got to his feet.

His legs were shaking, his skin—once like steel—was peeling away, showing blood underneath. His right leg and arm were out of place, and his neck seemed twisted, but he still managed to stand, glaring fiercely at Batman.

"Uh... I think he really hates you," Gwen said, glancing at Batman.

Batman's face stayed blank, like he hadn't heard her.

Leng Ji's injuries made him slow, but he finally noticed a blinking light on his chest. Looking down, he saw a small metal device stuck to him with a flashing light. In the center was a tiny bat symbol.

Boom!

The device exploded. It was a new bat bomb, more powerful than Batman's old bat darts. The blast sent Leng Ji flying backward, rolling like a ragdoll until he came to a stop, lying motionless on the ground.

"Got him," Gwen said, clapping her hands. She held one out to Batman for a high five.

"A high five?"

Batman didn't respond.

Gwen pulled her hand back, feeling a little rejected. "So cold," she muttered.